The Games Queens Play
by adriadewinter
Summary: Emma volunteers for her younger sister, Snow at what should have been a normal reaping. As they travel to the capitol, she realizes that she will have to fight a girl she met years ago to survive. (also inside)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** There seemed to be a tragic lack of Hunger games/ Swan Queen fics, which honestly surprised me because really was I the only one that went "HUNGER GAMES!" when Regina walked in front of the flaming symbol?

**Summary:** Emma volunteers for her younger sister, Snow at what should have been a normal reaping. As they travel to the capitol, she realizes that she will have to fight aa girl she met years ago to survive.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the hunger games or once upon a time.

The choice was simple. Hearing "Snow White" called from Effie Trinket's lips was the worst thing she could have imagined, but that changed instantly as she saw the tears not only on her little sister's face, but also the tears on her fiancé James' face. Their sorrow could only add to the pain she felt in her heart already though. As Snow began to slowly walk forward, Emma rushed into the aisle so filled already with the guards that were here to 'protect' her. "I volunteer," she cries, and the whole square falls silent. The only noise she hears is the rustle of Effie's dress as she walks to the edge of the podium to greet her and her own heavy labored breathing.

Effie asks her name, "dear." _As if._ But Emma gives it anyways, curt and simple, like she appears, no doubt, to this capitol citizen. "Emma Swan," and Effie announces it to the still silent crowd as they raise, as one, three finger to their lips to say goodbye. With long blonde hair whipping through the wind in this desolate district 12, it is no wonder that all voices have been silenced even had she not been the first volunteer in years. All but Effie's voice apparently, and Emma trips a little as the woman stumbles on in her irksome capitol accent. It knocks the made-up woman a little to the side, and she proceeds with her name drawing.

The next name drawn is "Graham Humbert" and as the tall, dark-eyed man walks confidently to the podium, Emma cringes on the inside. Graham was the only one in the district who had snuck out more than Emma herself, and there was a running bet in the hidden bar that Granny and Red ran that one day, neither of them would return. But Emma knew differently. She knew about the little home under the bank, so carefully concealed by plants. About the dust covered bed and counter-tops. About the little grave right next to the bigger one, hidden behind the house, under the waterfall. And she knew where Graham went when he was outside, so her heart went out to her friend, the lonely man.

As he stepped up to Effie, Graham smiled at Emma, and she knew in that moment that he was glad for his selection somehow, and she smiled back. _Great. A powerful ally already._ They walk together into the justice building, Effie leading the way and gabbing the while about pointless things like how comfy the beds would be or how good the food would taste. Emma rolls her eyes, and prepares to trip into her again, but Graham winks at her, and then does so himself, smacking Effie's behind as he recovers. She looks scathingly back at the two who were trying very hard not to laugh, but says nothing. _Which after all was the goal._

They separate now, going into their separate rooms to bid goodbye, and Graham slouches as he enters his, and Emma feels sorry for him, but pushes that thought aside to say goodbye to her own family. Snow and James are there already, hand in hand, and they reach out their arms to embrace her as she walks in. Emma shakes their arms off gruffly, secretly wiping the tear from her eye as she looks away.

"James, you better take good care of her now, do you hear? I don't want to come back and find out that you've had to sell off mom's best china just to eat all-right? And don't let her take out extra tesserae. Granny owes me a little, and she can help you two out for the next year until neither of you can be reaped."

He nods and shakes Emma's proffered hand before stepping back to let Snow tackle-hug her sister again. She is crying, and instead of her being the one to calm the new tribute, Emma wraps her arms around her sister whispering that everything will be okay. _Yes, it's a lie, and mother would be furious, but at this point, there is little to do._ They stay like that, holding each other until distant steps can be heard signaling James' and Snow's impending departure.

Snow leans forward to whisper in her ear, "I'm going to name our daughter after you," before pulling back and standing next to James. Surprised, Emma looks at them both and gives them a bone crushing hug while whispering, "You could do so much better, Snow," in her sister's ear right before they are dragged away.

Left alone in the empty chamber, Emma stands in the center of the room, perfectly still, just listening to the silence. She tries to picture what her little namesake will be like, and another tear slips past her eyelids as she thinks of the horrible world she would be born into. Suddenly, the door creaks open. She spins, expecting, well, she didn't know what to expect, but Red certainly was not it. The usually straightforward, jovial girl was now standing silent, awkwardly hopping from one foot to the other as she thinks of what to say. She jumps forward and stuffs something in Emma's hand as she gives her a hug before rushing away.

Clipped to the silken handkerchief that the item is wrapped in is a note written in Granny's hasty scrawl. Emma smirks as she realizes she's never seen it on anything other than a bar tab, but reads the note quickly as she turns the item over in her hands.

"Your mother gave me this when we were young, before all of this happened. I think she would have wanted you to have it now." She unwraps the fabric to reveal a gold pin with a delicately carved apple tree on the front, and right as the soldiers enter to take her to the train, she pins it to her tunic.

After settling in their rooms on the train, which for Emma meant jumping on the bed to see how high she could get (_amazing air!)_, the tributes and their future mentor met in the dining car. Effie was there, primly drinking a cup of tea, and across from her sat Leroy, the town drunk and only previous district 12 victor. He looked both of them over, lingering on Emma longer than she liked, before throwing back his entire amber beverage and wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve.

"Looks like we have two fighters this year. Effie, what did you do, rig the draw?"

She blushes and brings her pink gloved hand to her mouth in shock. "I would never—"

"_Sure_ you wouldn't. As if it matters now." He walks up to Graham and shakes his hand firmly. "So sorry to see you here, my friend. I wish—"

"Don't be sorry. I'm not." Graham cuts in shortly, and Emma turns her head. Those are the most words she has ever heard from his mouth at one time, but her attention is soon caught back up in Leroy who had now stepped in front of her and was gazing up and down her body.

"Emma! So good to see you with clothes on for once." She steps forward to take a swing at the man, but Graham pulls her back. "Not very friendly, this one, is she?" Leroy asks Effie, whose mouth may just have hit the table in shock at his words. Seeing he may have gone a little too far, Leroy puts on a more somber face and turns back to Emma. "Sorry. _Good_ clothes then."

Sensing that things may just be about to go down in a really bad way, Effie steps between Emma and their drunken mentor right as the blonde finished rolling up the sleeves on the simple blue dress that Snow had spent hours poring over. It had been intended for the wedding, but the reaping had come first. "Shall we all sit down and watch the other reapings now?" She leaves them little choice, taking Emma's wrist and pulling as she pushes Graham over to the sofa. They sit down as one: Effie, Emma, and Graham in a row on a couch but Leroy takes a chair and puts his feet up on the table inspiring another glare from Effie. He just chuckles and takes a swig from his hip flask as she looks away in barely concealed disgust.

She presses a button and a screen lowers in front of the four, playing the propaganda that always is presented before the reapings. Effie taps her foot to the music and sways a little before Emma "accidently" steps on it as she reaches for a glass of water. _Oh please, just make it stop. _As the tape rolls on, Emma pays little attention to her irksome announcer and watches her own reaping with composure, savoring the final sight of Snow and James and storing it in her memory.

For the other eleven reapings, Emma leans forward to study her future opponents. In district 11, a small brunette is pulled from the arms of a much taller man as tears course down his face. She makes no motion to struggle and indeed looks calm, making a final defiant glare at the camera before being led away. The man chosen is huge and angry as he roars before being led on stage. It takes six men to bring him forward, and Emma notes to watch out for him. Both tributes from 9 and 10 are small, virtually children, and Emma's heart twinges for their parents before she regains her focus and hopes for their sakes that their deaths are quick. _Painless_. From 8, a clear-faced girl is chosen, and the smile on her face when the man, an older boy with a limp, is chosen is quickly wiped away as she realized that only one could survive. Emma notes to watch out for her as well.

From 5, 6, and 7, she notes nothing special from the tributes, but they all appear well fed and for this reason she marks down to watch them as well. _Although, often softness comes with being well fed…_ Another volunteer is seen from district 4. The first girl chosen was tiny, and crying bitter tears as the guards began to pull her away from the woman who must have been her mother. A girl steps forward. _Her sister?_ _Same eyes and skin tone. Definitely sisters. _Her sister steps up and takes her place with something like pride gleaming on her and her family's face, yet another one Emma decides to watch out for.

The tributes from 2 and 3 are careers, trained and hardened fighters, and all volunteers. They look hardy, gleeful, and fierce as they stare out at the crowd and cheer as they are led away. Emma begins to sink back in her seat (_Winning is going to be impossible_) but a flash of purple catches her eye when the woman from district 1 is selected. The name called out, Regina Mills, means nothing to Emma but the eyes, the hair, that smile all do. She thinks back to a time alone in the forest four years ago, when she'd travelled farther than ever before. She'd seen that girl once before, and many times after in her dreams. Oh no, that was the girl, her fairy tale princess brought back to life in front of her, and to get home to her sister and future namesake, Emma would have to kill her.

The tape ends and Emma covers her face with a pillow. _Oh Crap._


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Not so much SQ in this one, but I swear, soon. I'm going to change the HG universe a little to accommodate the characters from ONCE. Also, I'm going to separate the Storybrooke and FTL characters. Please let me know what you think.

Summary: On the train Emma thinks back to her meeting with Regina, and is counseled by Leroy for her behavior. Her and Graham arrive to a roaring crowd for the chariot ride.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Hunger Games or Once Upon A Time.

Emma lays her head back on the pillow and replays the day in her mind as she lies down in her bed that night. So much had happened that she not only wanted to remember, but also things that she could not forget. She pauses in her memory for a moment at her goodbye with Snow but skips all the talks with Effie and Leroy that had occurred throughout the rest of the day. The last images in her head before she falls asleep are a constant loop of images of Regina (_Now I know her name)_ being chosen as a tribute. When she finally slept, her dreams took the exhausted blonde back to the day she'd first met the mysterious brunette and her lovely smile.

_ The trees rustle above her as Emma hides under an embankment. A hovercraft or other capitol vessel is travelling above her and she cowers, making herself as silent as possible hoping they don't notice her. Her fears seem all but justified when the craft lowers itself and begins to land. Curious, thinking that running would do no good if they already knew she was there, she creeps forward and watches the passengers disembark._

_ A young girl, about her age, runs down the ramp and around towards the other end of the ship, blue skirt tails flailing out behind her. Much slower than the girl, an older woman in black descends to the edge of the ramp and stands there watching as the girl returns leading a horse. A shorter, rotund man stands behind the woman as the girl mounts the horse and rides away. _

_ She passes right by the tree Emma is hiding behind and continues, heading towards an area Emma knows, from recent experience, is a swamp. She immediately stands up and gives chase, determined somehow not to let the girl die the slow dragging death the swamp so readily provides. Too late, she arrives to the edge of the swamp as the horse is already half-buried in the muck and Emma fires an arrow at it to relieve its misery. _

"_You killed my horse!" comes indignantly from the now very undignified girl hanging from an over reaching branch. Emma says nothing but climbs the tree swiftly and grabs the back of the girls coat _(lighter than she looks) _and hauls her up. Then she carefully leads her down the tree, neither of them speaking as she does so. The horse is gone now, swallowed in the murky pit, and Emma turns to the other girl. Perhaps to smile, perhaps to say hello, but neither is done when the noise of footsteps approaching is heard. Emma shakes her head rapidly before dashing into the bushes._

_ The man bursts through the trees on his own horse and the girl can barely stop him before he too reaches the pit. "Where did you go? I told you to wait for me! ... Where is your horse?" He picks her up as he continues asking questions, and Emma can see that despite his rich clothing, he really cares for the girl. Once they are out of sight, Emma decides to make a dash for it. The girl would hopefully not mention her, but she couldn't be sure. That night, after she dragged herself slowly under the fence and into bed, was the first night she dreamt of that face._

Effie wakes her up in the morning by pulling back the curtains and cheerily letting in the light. "Look, you wouldn't want to miss out on a morning like this now would you, Emma? And besides, Leroy needs to talk strategy with you two before we reach the capitol, which" She looks down at the pad clutched in her pale, manicured hand, "will be in about three hours. So look sharp! And be in the dining room as soon as possible." She leaves, and as Emma dresses in her preferred garb of a leather hunting jacket over loose tunic and breeches, she considers how hard it would be to throw the prattling woman out of the train. _Nah, someone worse might show up._

She laces up her boots and stands up to leave before remembering the pin she'd left on the dress, and she quickly adds it under her jacket before gliding out into the dining car. Graham is sitting there, steadily eating a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and various other items Emma doesn't recognize. He hands her a full plate as she sits at the table and begins to eat. Both are nearly on their third plate before Leroy staggers in.

He covers his eyes with his hand and feels out for the table before gingerly sitting down at the end of the table and pouring out a deep red drink into a glass and draining it dry. Emma grins at Graham and slides the man's chair back as Leroy reaches forward with a fork to take a piece of ham from the platter in the middle of the table. He leans back again to sit down and falls on the floor, howling in rage as he lands. Leroy glares at both of them harshly before stabbing the table with his knife. "Which of you did this?" he yells, looking them each in the eyes as he asks.

"What's wrong, _Grumpy_? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Emma asks smiling. He mutters something about hating the sunlight before sitting back down and eating his meal quickly.

The two tributes and their mentor sit down on the sofas after breakfast while Effie sits at the table, once again drinking tea as she supervises the three. Another fight could end up disastrous, and after all, the curtains were velvet and lace! Leroy sits across from the two who are waiting expectantly for him to say something.

"Well? What are you waiting for? What talents do you two bags of bones have?" Emma twitches at the nickname, but Graham speaks up first.

"Well, both of us are good hunters, I with a spear and her with a bow. We both can track, and Emma, here, can move virtually silently. I'm also pretty strong, I think."

At this, Emma speaks up indignantly, not one to just take the complements while a good man devalues himself. "He's more than strong. I've seen him lift a huge boulder and set it back down softly many times. And I'm sure he's just as silent as me."

Leroy looks back and forth between them nodding. "Well, that's a good start. The hunting and tracking skills will come in handy while trying to survive, but the weaponry skills will definitely be the most important when it comes to actual fighting. We don't want the other tributes to know your skills though, so you should keep those hidden till your interview with the gamekeepers. We can talk more about that tonight, but for now, appearances." He gazes at them both, up and down, critically before he turns to Effie.

She walks over and hems softly. "We will have to clean you up before you appear in the parade, but your stylist should take care of most of that for you. I can't wait to see how very much better you both look afterwards." She jumps up and claps her hands before slowly stopping as she notes their glares. "I mean, you look good now surely, but they'll clean you up and make you smell so much… nicer." Leroy looks at her and shakes his head before she slowly sits back down at the table, deflated.

Emma gets up to leave, but Leroy catches her hand to prevent her and in response she flicks her wrist, spinning him into a lock and making him let go. She turns to walk away, but he yells after her, "Sit down, or you aren't even going to make it to the second day. Now, SIT. DOWN." Slowly she steps back towards the two and Leroy sets himself into his chair with care and takes another long swig from his hip flask before Emma steps forward and knocks it out of his hands.

He looks up from the floor at her, grinning wryly as he rubs his jaw. "You need to be more friendly or even with that pretty face, no one is going to like you."

"It doesn't matter whether they like me or not, and you need to stay sober long enough to give us half a chance to survive! Stop doing such a half-hearted job of it and tell us what we need to do." He looks up at her, weighing the options and eventually reaches his hand out to her. She helps him to his feet and shakes his hand before they both sit down.

"I agree to stay sober as long as you stay civil and stop smacking me. Deal?" Emma looks at Graham after this response and they both nod to Leroy before he continues. "Now that that's settled, we need to discuss sponsors. This goes right along with what I said earlier, you have to be as appealing as possible to get them, aka Emma you need to be NICE, and they can mean the difference between life and death in a tough situation."

The train begins to slow down and the two tributes walk to the windows to gaze at the city below them. As Emma gazes she wonders how far she can trust Graham and if she could tell him about Regina, but she remains silent instead and studies the city that demands so much of the citizens' hard work. He, on the other hand, just sets his hand on her shoulder comfortingly as they stand there. He does not speak until the city is blocked from view by the tunnels they were passing through.

"You know, I'm glad you're the other tribute from our district. I think you have a good chance of getting home after this, and I'll do my best to help you if I can. Please don't be sad for me." Emma looks up at him and smiles before mouthing her thanks right as the train stops. Her eyes had filled with tears as he spoke, but as they disembark, she shakes them all away.

It takes all of Emma's strength to not attack the people who are scrubbing her down, yet her promise to Leroy still rings in her ears, and it keeps her still. As annoying as the procedure was, Emma found she likes being as clean as she now is and with the removal of old scars, she found she can move much more fluidly than before. However, her continued lack of clothes is somewhat disturbing, and Emma hopes that her costume will be more than the coal dust of past years.

Finally her stylist walks in and clucks as she walks around the table, looking her over quietly. Finally she stops and tosses her a blanket. "Here, Emma is it?, you can cover up. I've seen what I need to for your outfit, which by the way is going to be spectacular! I'm Ruby, and I'll be your stylist, so let's make you shine." The girl sits down on a chair opposite the table Emma is on, and it surprises Emma how much Ruby reminds her of Red. They are about the same height and build, but Ruby has a fire in her eyes that had been tamed by hard work and pain in Red's. Also surprising to Emma is her lack of the capitol fashions. Her hair is long and dark (_like Red's too_), and all but the bright red tips look natural, and only her ears are pierced. She also is dressed in black and does not speak with the capitol accent like Emma expected.

"You're not really what I expected from a capitol stylist. I pictured you with piercings everywhere, tinted and powdered skin, and vibrantly colored clothes."

"Really, well it is my first time as a stylist, so I would like to make a splash with your costume, and those fashions cannot last. Besides, they are difficult to work in, and you're not really what I expected either. When I heard I had a volunteer, I honestly expected someone, well, tougher. I'm sure you're strong enough to win though aren't you?" Emma nods as Ruby moves over to the door and brings in extra materials for her outfit.

"Stand, please." Emma get to her feet as Ruby begins to piece together the outfit for the parade, starting with her shoes and working upwards. As she makes adjustments to the dress and accessories, Ruby explains her plan for the parade to the girl.

"I've talked it over with my friend Mary Margaret, your fellow tribute's stylist, and we want to show a unified front for the parade, so we made complementary costumes for you two. He is to initially represent the coal that district 12 is known for, and you are going to be the flames. The pieces I'm adding to your dress will make the flames; don't worry, they're harmless." She steps back and examines her work, a pleased look spreading across her face at the sight. "All ready." She leads her through the doors and down to a chariot where Graham and a small, short-haired girl are waiting.

Graham is wearing silver with jabs of black jutting out in different places. It looks like other colors lie beneath, but they cannot be seen in the dim light. As the two stylists make adjustments to their chariot, Graham looks at Emma and smiles. "You look great, Emma."

She looks down at her dress, all reds and oranges on top, but black and silver like Graham's hidden underneath. "So do you, man! I'm just glad it's not coal dust." She winks at him and they laugh before the stylists walk over, preparations complete.

"All-right you two." Ruby explains. "Your outfits will remain as they are until you join hands. When that happens, the flames will come out and burn around you. It can't actually hurt you, but wait to join hands until you're out in front of the crowd for the best effect. Once the flames have died down, let go for a moment and your outfits will transform. Then you can do what you like. Ready?"

Both shake their heads no, but step into the chariot and drive off anyway. As they pass through the crowd all Emma can do is crane her head around to look for Regina, but her search is interrupted when Graham takes her hand and raises it above their heads. The crowd gives a roaring cheer as their outfits burst into flames. They remain like that, smiling and waving at the crowd as they pass towards the central ring where the Queens will officially start the hunger games. Emma begins to enjoy her ride and smiles broadly, even more so when she sees herself on screens around the stadium. _I look AWESOME!_

They arrive in the middle ring, and the chariot for district 1 is on the other edge of a half-circle, but the male from that district blocks her view of Regina, and all she can see is a deep blue dress shining in the darkness. She lets go of Graham's hand and their outfits switch themes: Emma's becomes a shining silver and black while Graham's becomes a vibrant red as the flames around them cease. The crowd gasps at their transformation, but their attention is soon drawn to the pair of women standing and tapping on the microphone for their attention. The Queens are about to address their people.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Finally next time a Swan Queen scene… Next time. Sorry yall, I just ran out of time with that, but maybe it will be finished tonight? Please let me know what you think.

Summary: Enter Queens! And after the Hunger Games are officially announced, Emma and Graham spend the day training.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Hunger Games or Once Upon A Time.

_Two hours earlier_

Gamemaker Gold walked down the hall to the throne room where Queen Cora and Queen Maleficent were waiting to be informed about his game theme. He shuddered as he leaned on his cane with every other step. A steady, arrhythmic _thump, thump_ drummed through the walls as life-sized floor to ceiling pictures of the queens over the years stared at him. As he travelled down the hall, the pictures became more stately and regal but the faces became crueler; the expressions never changed, but the eyes lost their light. The soft drumming became louder as he reached the door and softly pushed it open.

Both Queens were sitting on thrones, legs crossed as they waited for him to approach. On the right, sat a curly-haired blonde who was leaning forward on a staff of twisted wood as she petted the unicorn that sat beside her. She was wearing a deep velvet-green dress, and a malicious smile lit up her face when Gold entered the room. The other queen sat on the left wearing a dress of red and white lace so finely worked that it almost wasn't there. A disused Venetian-style mask lay discarded by her throne, and when Gold walked in she smiled, a smile that could almost be seen as happy were not her eyes so lost and angry.

Were not the two Queens so intimidating already, the throne room itself would have been enough to distract and terrify the lame man. The thumping noise was louder here to the point of distraction and it would cascade with many overlapping beats in some seconds yet would be virtually silent in others. As he stood there waiting for them to give him permission to speak, he found himself cringing in the silences between the beats. The queen on the left clapped her hands and the heavy black curtains over the left side of the room shot up letting in a glaringly bright light and perfect vision of the capitol skyline. Despite the magnificent view, Gold dared not turn away from the Queens. His predecessor had been executed a few weeks ago for simply sneezing on his way out.

The Queen on the left hemmed softly and waved her hand to indicate that he could speak. "Your majesties, Queen Cora, Queen Maleficent," he bowed to the left and then the right as he spoke before straitening up and leaning again on his cane. "I prepared the stadium as you requested," and pulling out a small circle from his pocket he stepped forward to pass it to the queens, but Maleficent held up her hand and Cora flicked her wrist. The circle flew through the air and landed in Cora's open hand. She pressed a button on top and a holographic map appeared between Gold and the thrones.

He narrated as they stood to examine each part of the circular section whispering to themselves as he went on. "To the north is a black forest with swamps interspersed throughout. The only source of water therein is a small pond in the very center, and the only food sources are small critters barely worth a mouthful. Multiple dark creature are ready to release and are quite fierce. At the moment we are working on extra traps and more animals to fill it with. In the east, lies a desert, complete with poisonous creatures, but beyond lies a virtual haven with shelter, shade, and food."

At this Cora interrupted. "No. Cut out the poison—you can add more creatures if you need to, but no poisonous ones."

"Of course, your majesty, I will make that change as soon as possible." He bowed low before continuing. "In the center is the cornucopia on an open field that is cut up by streams to make the first fight more interesting and difficult to escape. Crags break up the land to the west, and while there are many animals there for food, no shelter is available, and multiple crevasses are hidden among the area. Finally, to the south, is the castle you requested. It's full of trap doors and hidden passages and should be a fun place for the audience to watch."

Maleficent and Cora nodded and smiled in agreement with the plan Gold had laid out. They sat back down on the thrones as Gold half relaxed and wiped the sweat dripping from his brow. Cora hemmed again softly and motioned with her hand to her blonde associate, "We have some additions that need to be made to your games before you populate it. As mentioned before, there need to be no poisons in the entirety of the field, and we want every attempt to be made to spare the tributes from the elements. Every single one needs to be killed by another tribute, understood?" He nodded and opened his mouth but she continued on. "The adjusted trackers we gave you MUST be used in everyone, and you must submit the weapon's list you plan to include before you start the games." She looked at Maleficent, who nodded and waved the man away.

He limped out the door and closed it softly behind him, barely muffling a cough as he exited the room. Once he was gone, Cora burst into a hacking cough and Maleficent looked over at her, worry on her face. "Are you going to be all-right, Cor? That cough is worse than yesterday's." Cora said nothing, but flicked her hand again and a panel slid up from the other side of the room revealing a row of beating hearts in thin glass containers filled with a clear, yellow fluid. Each of them had four metal attachments where the veins and arteries would connect to the heart and a small metal circle on the side. With another turn of her wrist a single container flew out and shot into her hand as the panel flew up again.

"Mal, would you mind?" She asked as she motioned to the heart and herself. The blonde stood up and walked over to her friend then took the heart out of the container and stood in front of Cora. The older brunette pulled her dress open slightly in the front revealing a metal seam down her chest which clicked open to reveal her own slowly beating heart. Maleficent pulled the metal circle off the heart and, simultaneously, removed the heart from Cora's chest, exchanging it for the one in her hand. Once done, the seam shut and Cora stood up breathing deeply. She took the old heart from the blonde's hand and squeezed it until it fell to the floor—a pool of muscle and blood.

"Thank you, dear. A new heart is always refreshing." They both turned back to their thrones and sat down again. Mal began stroking the neck of the unicorn beside her and clapped twice quickly. A servant appeared, and Cora pointed to the container and the mess on the floor. The girl bowed and picked up all of the pieces before turning to walk away. The blonde reached up and caressed the girls face, smiling smugly as she flinched before the girl walked away. Mal sat back down and petted the unicorn again. The girl stopped as it whimpered under her touch but quickly exited the door seconds later.

Maleficent reached over and rested her hand on Cora's. "Oh Cor, dear, can't I pick the winner this year? The girl from 11 was so pretty, and I need new workers. Please, dear?" The other queen smiled and used her silkiest voice as she responded.

"Mal, Mal, Mal. We don't have to pick this year because other than that minor hiccup in 12 everything is going according to plan." The blonde's face fell and Cora rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, dear. I promise it will all work out." The blonde sniffed but made no other argument.

_Present time_

The Queens step up to the podium in their classic green and red outfits, arms linked as they wave to the cheering crowd. Queen Cora taps on the podium to signal for silence and the cheers stop. Both women spread their arms out, letting go of each other for a moment, as they welcome the crowd. They finish each other's sentences and laugh occasionally but Emma can see from the giant screen in front of her that the smile does not reach their eyes.

"Welcome, everyone…" Cora begins.

"…to the 20th annual Hunger Games!" At this, the crowd cheers and the Queens pause, waiting for the noise to die down before continuing.

"The games this year should…"

"…be even more spectacular than usual!"

"Thank you for giving our tributes such a warm welcome…"

"…and we hope you're back here again, three nights from now to see the interviews." Cora and her friend bow and walk back to their thrones as the crowd roars out in joy again.

As Emma and Graham drive back to the training facility, she continues to try to see the girl from 1, but now with eleven other carriages in front of her, the attempt provides no satisfying results. Ruby, Mary Margaret, and Effie are all waiting to give them hugs when they get off their chariot. Leroy stands there stiffly, missing his flask, but nods to both tributes after they get down. Ruby screams with glee and tackles Emma.

"That was amazing! Oh we are going to have so much fun with your outfit for the interviews, and I am totally getting a good district next year." She lets go of Emma and looks at the other stylist who is standing next to Graham, shyly smiling. "Mary Margaret! You want to go design the interview costumes now? And the after party, come on let's go!"

The pixie haired girl shakes herself away from Graham, and Emma can see her reluctance, but Effie is pushing her towards the elevator. She doesn't realize how tired she is until she gets to her room, and she tears her dress off, _(whoops. Whatever though.) _before falling onto the bed where she immediately falls asleep.

Graham is up before her again, and Effie is sitting on the sofa re-powdering her face. Like yesterday, Graham passes Emma a plate with breakfast which she greedily eats as she looks around the room for Leroy. "Where is Grumpy this morning? Has he even gotten up yet?"

Graham finishes chewing his last mouthful before he sets his fork down and leans forward. "He went downstairs already to ask something about the training for me. He promised to be back as soon as possible." Just as he finishes this, the elevator beeps and Leroy walks out. His hair is combed, and Emma almost spits out the milk she just drank, but contains the impulse.

Leroy collapses onto the sofa next to Effie, who looks down and slightly scoots over as she smooths her dress down to prevent wrinkles from forming by his interruption. He rolls his eyes and scoots over, yawning, before he reaches his arm around her shoulders as he winks at the breathless tributes. Effie huffs and stands abruptly up before moving to a different chair and Leroy uses her absence to put his feet up.

"Did you find out when we train?" Graham asks as he and Emma move over to the chairs across from Leroy.

"The first session begins in a few minutes, and it will last till lunch, which will be served down there, and then the next session will begin. That will end before dinner, and you will eat up here where we can discuss more plans. Remember not to reveal your hunting talents and keep a united front. I recommend that you stay together; go to the same stations." Emma frowns at this, displeased, but Graham nods in agreement. Leroy points to the door and pulls off the first of his boots. "Get going now. It never hurts to be early."

Emma follows Graham to the elevator and they descend to the training floor. Almost all of the other tributes are there, gathered into groups by their district number. The careers are standing together in the middle, glaring at all the others and daring them to provoke them, but all other districts shy away. Emma searches their faces, but Regina is not there, and Graham turns to her curiously before she looks away. Then the trainers enter the room and spread to their various stations, causing the groups of tributes to break up and spread out.

A few minutes later, as Emma and Graham are training in the climbing section the elevator doors opened again and Regina pops her head in. "Sorry, I'm late," she says as she walks over to the station where her fellow district 1 tribute is working. He ignores her, and in fact nearly spears her as he spars with the trainer, but the supervisor moves her out of the way just in time.

Looking up as soon as she hears Regina's voice, Emma stares at her the entire time and only looks away when Regina makes eye contact with her. The brunette steps back in shock, but quickly turns and walks to the station as far away from the climbing station as possible. Graham waves his hand in front of Emma's face and she turns back to him and continues climbing. He looks at her curiously for a little but eventually resumes also.

Till lunch, Emma and Graham rotate through stations and learn about terrain, which animals provide the best food source (_as if we don't already know, but it might give a hint of the animals in the games_), how to swim, and how to treat infected wounds. Emma pretends not to notice, but Regina is always a station behind them as is the smaller girl from 11. Graham notices though and he points her out, but every time he tries to speak, Emma moves to a different station and Graham follows.

When lunch rolls around, Emma and Graham are exhausted, so they collapse at the nearest table when they have their lunch trays. Regina pauses as she walks by with hers, but when Emma looks up she moves away to the next table. Next the careers arrive with their trays and stand behind Emma and Graham for a few moments, but they move away when the two don't even flinch.

The girl from 11 is sitting at the next table over, and they do the same thing. She on the other hand, gets up immediately and walks away as they laugh. The female tribute from 4, _the volunteer_, leaves the career group at this and joins the girl from 11. She seems hesitant at first, but the Asian girl pull the smaller girl's tray away and setts it on the table, patting the seat next to hers, and the girl from 11 sits down. They are soon joined by the pair from 8. None of them speaks except for the latter pair, Emma notes, and those two only whisper in each other's ear. _Perhaps simply the company is comforting._ The male tribute from 11 and Regina both dine alone while the tributes from 10, 9, 7, 6, and 5 all sit together at a loud, talkative table and seem to be enjoying their meal despite the fate that overhangs them all.

The rest of the day proceeds as before, with both Regina and the tribute from 11 following them although from different stations. This time however, the tribute from 11, herself, has a tail, as the girl from 4 joins Emma and Graham at their stations. That her name is Mulan, is all they discover from her, but when they go to the sword fighting station, she trounces both of them quickly as well as the trainer who looks at her with appreciative eyes. She appears less comfortable while they are learning how to resuscitate a drowning victim (_as if any of us plan on using that_), but is quite at home in the camouflage section, and Emma sees the girl from 11 giggling when Mulan looks around with a face that appears like a pile of leaves. Emma can no longer pretend she hasn't noticed the tails, but just tells Graham to ignore them each time he points them out. While he does not look happy at her nonchalance, the curly haired man respects her wishes for the remainder of the session.

However as she steps out of the elevator behind him when their training is over for the day, he calls out to Leroy who jumps up from the couch where he had been snoring and joins them at the table. "We had a tail this morning and afternoon."

"Graham!"

"Shut up Emma. Who was it?"

"The girl from 1. She was watching us all day, usually from just a station away. I'd be less worried if Emma, here, were not adamant about ignoring her."

"Is that true Emma?" She shrugs and refuses to make eye contact with either of the men watching her. Which is actually really hard right now because Graham is right next to her and Leroy is across from her, and both of them are staring right into her eyes. "Tell me, Emma, do you have any idea why she was following you?"

Emma shakes her head and lays it on the table under her arms. She mumbles up from between them, "No of course not."

"Then why were you pretending to not notice? What if she was spying on us? Emma, we have to be more careful in order to get out of this alive."

"I… I don't know. Just leave me alone!"

Leroy turns to Graham, "You're right, she could be gathering information. Be careful tomorrow, and tell me anything you notice then. For tonight I will just say to rest up." Emma huffs at this and walks out. _I need some air now. Screw this._ As she leaves, she hears Leroy continue talking as if she were there still. "So, what did you work on this morning?"

In the elevator, Emma looks at all the buttons. The trainers had told them that the training floor would be locked after hours so no one could take advantage of the space, and the other tributes' floors were off limits. She sees another button though, cryptically labeled RG and presses it. The elevator lurches upward, and when the doors open, Emma finds herself on the roof with a huge garden all around her. Fruit trees and moss cover the ground (_floor?_), and the quiet chirping of birds is audible. Emma hears another sound coming from behind her, so she walks around the elevator. On her knees in the moss, under an apple tree, sobbing, is the girl she has wanted to talk to all day, and suddenly she can think of nothing to say.


End file.
